Why you should inventory your food supply
Posted
Sep 17 2008, 01:10 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
On Monday night I brought home 10 boxes of granola bars and 10 big boxes of old-fashioned oats, having paid just $17.50 thanks to a coupon/rebate combo. This was good news since I eat oatmeal every day and like to keep granola bars in my backpack to avoid buying pricey snacks when I'm out and about. The problem was where to put it all, because my cupboards already looked full. If I wanted to store this stuff, I had to reorganize.
So I did. Now I'm torn between feeling delighted and a little bit nervous. On the one hand, I have obtained a lot of staples very cheaply; some were even free thanks to those coupons and rebates.
On the other hand? I had no idea how much stuff I'd squirreled away.
Perhaps it's our current economic uncertainty that makes me do this. I'm investing in tomorrow's meals at today's prices, so to speak. As I emptied the cupboards I was reminded of Liz Pulliam Weston's column, "The emergency fund you can eat." Having a couple weeks' worth of food supplies, she noted, can tide you over during unemployment, budget shortfalls or natural disasters.
Yet I also thought about the Collyer Brothers, those famous recluses who died imprisoned by mountains of stuff. It's one thing to be a smart shopper, and quite another to have bargains take over your life.
I'm glad I made this inventory. Now that I know what I have, I can stop buying.
Baby aspirin and baggies
What I have is pretty shelf-stable. It's just that so much of it. A few highlights:
• Canned goods: 22 of tuna, 14 of pinto beans and nine of black beans, five of peaches, seven of pears, 12 of tomato sauce, 18 of diced tomatoes, five jars of spaghetti sauce. (And I'm not even counting the free fruit that I canned in the past couple of weeks.)
• Dry goods: 20 pounds of dried beans, six pounds of rice, seven boxes of mac-and-cheese, six pounds of pasta, eight packages of ramen, nine cake mixes, 10 pounds of sugar, four pounds of brown sugar, 15 big boxes of oatmeal (counting the ones I just bought).
• Condiments: Four jars of mayonnaise, six bottles of catsup, three bottles each of mustard and barbecue sauce, four jars of pickles.
• Drinks: Two giant cans of powdered milk (100 gallons' worth), 18 envelopes of hot chocolate mix, 800 teabags, 12 packages of sugar-free lemonade mix (72 quarts' worth).
• Health: Four bottles calcium supplements, five bottles of iron pills, four bottles of fish oil capsules, four bottles of baby aspirin, five bottles of multivitamins.
I have four boxes of crackers, five bottles of seasoned salt and two jars of peanut butter. My cupboards hold four rolls of paper towels, three boxes of wax paper, and six boxes of aluminum foil.
And allow me to perpetuate a stereotype: I have six boxes of Ziploc bags that may be with me forever because I reuse a bag until it develops holes.
Not quite a Collyer Sister
This isn't as compulsive, or expensive, as it sounds. I can go through 100 teabags in a month making iced tea so my stash will last eight months, not eight years. The powdered milk was a gift from my dad. The barbecue sauce and catsup were free, as were the baby aspirin that I take daily. Cake is the easiest thing for me to take to potlucks, and some of those mixes cost as little as 9 cents. I won't have to buy vitamins for about two years (yes, I checked the expiration dates).
The canned tomatoes and tomato sauce were a quarter apiece thanks to sales and coupons. The tuna will see me through quite a few brown-bag lunches. At least a pound of that brown sugar will be used in my holiday baking. Finally, I'll donate some of these foodstuffs to a local food bank and to the family my sister and I adopt for the holidays.
In other words, none of it will go to waste. What's important is that now I know what not to buy. I'll still have to shop for meat (discounted, of course), fresh fruits and vegetables, and go to the outlet store for tortillas and bread. Other than that, I'm going to focus on using the groceries I already have. I'll be curious to see how long it takes me to use them all.
If you don't keep track of what's in your cupboards, I urge you to make an inventory. You'll be more prepared for emergencies, and you'll also be positioned to put together quick meals instead of buying takeout as often.
And if you, like me, find that you have 193 Ziploc bags of varying sizes? You'll know that it's time to get your shopping habits under control. Except, of course, for buying an extra bottle of dish liquid so that you can wash them.
Note: This week I'm hosting the "Women of Personal Finance Spotlight" at partner blog Wise Bread. If you have a question or comment about personal finance and/or PF blogging, please follow this link. I look forward to hearing from you.
